Daily Number

$48,506

July 20, 2015

The average cost of home healthcare in New Jersey is $48,506, among the lowest in the Northeast (Massachusetts is $57,200) but higher than the national average of $45,760, according to a new study by Genworth Life Insurance Co. of New York.

The least expensive type of care for the elderly is an adult daycare center, which is typically required for only part of the day. In New Jersey, the annual cost of adult daycare is $22,165; nationally, it is $17,904.

Those who not need hands-on care but do need help with tasks such as cooking, cleaning, and running errands are probably best served by homemaker services, which in New Jersey cost nearly the same as a home health aide. The average in-state homemaker service costs $46,332; nationally, it is $44,616.

Assisted-living facilities are also pricey in the Garden State, costing an average of $68,700, among the highest rates in the country -- something that’s also true of Delaware, Washington, D.C., Alaska, and Connecticut. Nationally, assisted living costs an average of $43,200.

And then there are nursing homes. A private room in a nursing home costs $127,750, less than Alaska’s $281,415, Connecticut’s $158,775, Massachusetts’ $139,580, and New York’s $136,437 -- but still much higher than almost everywhere else and higher than the national average of $91,250.